Page 7 of A Savage Bargain

“Did you not instruct your potential Obedient?” the Collector asked in response.

“I did,” Krake confirmed. “She struggles with instruction.”

“That does not bode well,” the woman said, her frown deepening.

A sense of misgiving rose. I opened my mouth to ask a question, then thought better of it. Now might be the time to shut the fuck up, I realized, and swallowed against the anxious bile burning my throat.

“I am not a human,” the woman on the throne contradicted me. “But I was on Earth and this shape made the most sense.”

As I stared, the woman’s flesh bubbled and stretched, changing before my eyes from a human-appearing female to a hairless humanoid with beige skin, no nose, black depthless eyes, and no lips. Naked. Or naked appearing, I supposed. The Collector looked smooth as a genderless doll. Freaky.

“I am the Collector. I am any species. All species. Any sex. Anything I need to be.”

Remembering Krake’s many admonishments to remain silent, I nodded.

“Better,” the Collector said in response. “She can learn.” That was directed to Krake, and I bristled. “Tell me more about the Earth female.”

“She is called Bailey Wicker and she is 28 Earth years old,” Krake began, then provided the Collector with a summary of the information I had given him.

The clinical nature of it—like they were discussing livestock—chilled me to the core.

“I checked her over,” Krake continued, “and although she is smaller?—”

Fuck you.

“—she is remarkably responsive sexually.”

That was better.

“Bailey,” the Collector addressed me, “tell me about your sexual experiences.”

My eyes widened at the demand, but I knew better than to argue. An airlock beckoned, after all. “I’m not sure what you would like to know,” I haltingly began. “Numbers, styles, toys—” I stopped when Krake made a low-pitch clicking noise.

The Collector’s gaze remained impassive. “Have you had vaginal intercourse?”

“Am I a virgin?” A nervous laugh bubbled up. “Apologies. Yes, I have.”

“Anal intercourse?”

I flushed. “Yes.”

“Mouth intercourse?”

Mouth intercourse? Oh, right. Blowjobs. “Giving and receiving, yes.”

“How many partners have you had?”

I considered asking if that was restricted to just vaginal intercourse partners, and decided to stop overthinking. I counted in my head. “Ten.”

“What sexes?”

“Male.”

“How many partners at one time?”

“One or two.”

“Have you engaged in—” The Collector paused as if trying to find the right English word. “—kinky sex?”

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